Sewing machine



May 6, 1941. F. A. KUCERA 2,241,264

SEWING MACHINE Filed March 28, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet l W1 TNESSES I N VEN TOR.- Frank H. ifucera,

A TTORNEYS.

May 6, 1941. F. A. KUCERA SEWING MACHINE Filed March 28, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 .a M. m T E m M V 0 a w U Q m m w T I W F. A. KUCERA 2,241,264

SEWING MACHINE May 6, 1941.

Filed March 28, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG: H

, :5 S HG ZK j 26 g T i 5? 55 20 l I F6 2; Q37 i a; 51 i 55 1 4 H 21 j; 62? S v.T. x E 2 1/? 61 m w 53 MW I N V E N TOR Frank .H ifucerw,

WITNESSES.- Q5Q M BY W M 1/ ATTORNEYS.

y 1941- F. A. KUCERA 2,241,264

SEWING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 28, 1938 INVENTOR; Frank 2% ifucera,

ATTORNEYS.

y 1941- F. A. KUCERA I 2,241,264

SEWING MACHINE Filed March 28, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 T ml. 100

H XEZ 91 9 1 7 T ATTORNEYS.

new in". 1941 PATENT OFFICE' 2,241,204 snwme mom Ih-ank A. new, Chicago, 111., assignor to Union Special Machine Company. Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application March 28, 1938, Serial No. 198,343

Claims.

This invention relates to sewing machines, and it has reference more particularly to sewing machines of the flat bed chain stitch type, capable of producing a lengthwise yielding seam and useful in attaching elastic tape to stockings and other garments made from knitted fabric.

The chief'aim of my invention is to make it possible, with sewing machines of a specified type, to, control the natural curl along the top edge of the stocking fabric and reduce it to the form of a relatively-narrow, flat ravel-resistin fold or hem of uniform width, and at the same time to control the garter tape and guide it under regulatable tension into superimposition upon the hem of the fabric for'penetration by the needle-or certain needles if there-be a group of themof the sewing machine, so that in the finished stocking the fabric. will be devoid of puckering adjacent theseam and free to expand and contract compensatively with the elastic tape as the stocking is drawn over the le This desideratum I attain in practice as hereinafter more fully disclosed, through provision of instrumentalities in addition to the usual stitch forming and feeding elements of the sewing machine, including a presser foot with incorporated guide means for the elastic tape which is adjustable transversely of the direction of feeding; a controller'in advance of the presser foot having a semi-volute passage adapted to be traversed by the fabric and a ledge within said passage, which cooperates toreduce the curl, to transform it into a flat retroversion,

and to present said retroversion to the needle or needles of the machine; means whereby the controller is supported with capacity for adjustment transversely of the direction of feedin a guide'above the hemmer and in advance of the presser foot, by which the tape is presented tothe needle or needles with a marginal portion thereof superimposed upon the retroversion of the fabric, said guide having regulatable means for tensioning the tape: and means for supporting the tensioning guide with capacity for adjustment in the, direction of feeding as well as crosswise 01' the direction of feeding so that it may be accurately aligned with the guide means on the presser foot.

appear from the following detailed description of the attached drawings, wherein Fig. I is a view, in front elevation,'of a chain stitch sewing I machine conveniently embodying my invention.

Fig. II is a fragmentary horizontal sectional Other objects and attendant advantages will view drawn to a larger scale and taken as indicated by the arrows II-lI in Fig. I.

Fig. III is a fragmentary view in elevation looking as indicated by the arrows III-III in Fig. I.

' Fig. IV is a fragmentary transverse sectional 'view taken as indicated by the arrows 'IVIV in Fig. II.

1 Fig. V is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken as indicated by the arrows V--V in Fig. III showing the presser foot in front elevation. Fig.'VI is a perspective. view of the presser foot. Fig. VII shows the bottom plan of the presser foot.

Fig. VIII is a perspective view of an independently-movable component of the presser foot.

Figs. IX and X are detail sectional views of the presser foot taken as indicated respectively by the arrows IX-IX-and X-X in Fig. II.

Fig. XI is a fragmentary detail view in plan with the curl controller shown in longitudinal section.

Fig. XII is an elevation of the delivery end oi the curl controller viewed as indicated by the arrows IHI-XII in Fig. III.

Fig. XIII is a perspective mer.

Figs. XIVand XV are cross sectional views of the curl controller taken as indicated respectively by the arrows XIV-XIV and XV-XV in Fig. XII.

Fig. XVI is a fragmentary view in end elevation looking as indicated by the arrows XVI-XVI in Fig. I, and showing theguiding and tensioning means for the elastic tape.

Fig. XVII is a detail view in front elevation of the guiding and tensioning means looking as indicated by the arrows XVII-XVII in Fig.

Fig. XVIII is a sectional view taken as indicated by the arrows XVIII-XVIII in Fig. XVII.

Fig. XIX is a transverse sectional view of the tape guide and tensioning means taken as indicated by the arrows XIX-XIX in Fig. XVII.

Fig. XX is a perspective view of a gauge member associated with the tape guiding and tensioning means; and

XXI is a diagrammatic view in section sho ng how the elastic tape is seamed to the be of a stocking in accordance with my invention.

Except as hereinafter specifically pointed out. the sewing machine which I have shown in Fig.

view of the hem- I for convenience of illustrating my invention is of standard construction in that it has a horizontal work support an overreaching longitudinally extending arm 2 with a terminal head 3 at its free end wherein are slidably guided a needle bar 4 and a presser bar 5. By suitable means, not illustrated,-wlthin the arm 2 deriving movement from a horizontal drive shaft 8 within the base 1 of themachine, the needle bar 4 is reciprocated vertically so that the three transversely-arranged needles 8 at its lower en are passed up and down through a throat plate 9 set intothe work support in the usual manner. beneath the work support is 'a single looper M which is pivoted at H to a rocker l2 mounted for oscillation about a longitudinally-extending axis. The rocker I2 is actuated by. suitable means (not shown) from the drive shaft to impart needle approaching and avoiding move- Arrange'd to cooperate with the needles 1:-

Gil

ments to the looper 8. 'Loop taking movements are on the other hand, imparted to the looper "I through a means which is only partly shown in Fig. I including a horizontal connecting link l3 by which the looper is' coupled with an oscillating arm l5v on a rock shaft l5 extending transversely of the machine base and actuated in a well knownway from the drive shaft5." The machine is operated through application of power by belt to a pulley H at the outer end of. the drive shaft 5. By means of a feed dog i8 having spaced front and rear sections which operate upwardly through slots in the throat plate 8, the work'being sewed is intermittently progressed on the work support in the direction indicated by the arrows in Figs. II and IV.

In adapting a standard flat bed chain stitch sewing machine such as briefly described up to this point for the purpose of my invention, i. e., for applying elastic tape to knitted stockings and the like, I have provided supplemental cooperating elements including a presser foot of special construction which is comprehensively designated 20 in the drawings; a curl controller comprehensively designated 2|, and atape guide and tensioning device designated 22.

From Figs. III-VII, it will be observed that the presser foot comprises a main component 23 and an auxiliary component 25, which. as presently explained, is movable independently of said main component. As shown. the main .component 23 is pivotally connected by a transverse pin 28 to the forwardly projecting toe portion 21 of a split supporting shank member 28 which is secured to the lower end of the presser bar 5 by a clamp screw 29. The pivot pin 25 (see Fig. II) passes through apertured upstanding ears 35, 3| at the rear of the main component 23. The main component can thus rock up and down and adapt itself to irregularities in the work progressed beneath it by the actionof the feed dog l8. its swinging movement being limited in one direction,

the inner edge 58 coincides with the inner straight by a stop screw 32 adjustable in the shank member 28, see Figs. II and IV. Immediately in advance of the ears 35, 3| the main component'23 of the presser foot has a transversely extending slot 35 for passage of the needles 8. As further shown in Figs. II and IV. the front end of the main com- III) to the outer side of the ear 38 on the compo ,nent 23. At its free end, the component 25 has a sloping lateral bar projection which is complemental to, and which meets the bar projection 31 on the main component 23 to complete-the transverse guide slot 38 for the tape. A finger spring 4| having a coiled portion wrapped about a screw stud 42 engaging into the shank member 28 serves .to yieldingly depress the component 25 whereof the independent movement is limited by an adjustable stop screw 43 arranged to contact with the top surface of themain component 23 as shown in F|gs.III and VI. Adjustable alongthe tape slot 38 in the presser foot 28 are edge guides 45, 45 for the tape, the guide 45 having the conflguratlon of a clip which engages over the upturned front end 35 of the main presser foot component 23, and which is formed with a wing 41 at one side thereof slotted as at 48 for passageof theshank of a securing screw 49. At the front, the edge guide 45 overhangs the bar 40 of the independently movable presser foot component 25 as shown at 58 in Fig. IV. The edge guide 45,.see Fig. X, is shaped to correspond with the cross sectional configuration of the tape slot 38 and is extended inwardly at the top as at 5| in Fig. VI to overlap the top edge of the upturned front end 35 of the main component 23, which latter has a slot 52 to clear the shank of a headed securing screw 53. By virtue of the provisions just described it is possible not only to vary the size of the-slot 38 for elastic tapes of different widths but to laterally adjust the path of travel of the tape laterally in respect to the needles 8. 4

The curl controller device 2| rests upon the work support I immediately in advance of the presser foot 25 (as considered with regard to the direction of feeding) and as shown in Fig. XIII, has aloading platform 55 at its front end at an elevation above its. main surface 55. Beyond the loading platform 55 and along one of its side edges, the curl controller 2| has a semi-volute scroll 51, see Figs. XIV, XV, which tapers from its receiving end to its delivery end. Extending laterally in-- ward from the scroll 51 and overreaching the main surface 55 of the controller 2| is a wing 58 whereof edge of the scroll (see Fig. XIV) with resultant provision of a ledge internally of said scroll. The outer edge 5| of the tongue forms an acute angle with the internal ledge such that 'said wing is taperedlike the scroll but to a much greater deone section 58 of the lengthwise adjustable arm 51, the other section 58 of said arm engaging, with interposition of a friction washer a pivot screw 88 which engages downwardly into the work support I. As a consequence of this arrangement, the curl controller 2| can, when necessary or desired, be

swung about the pivot screw 58 to a retracted position out of the way for convenience of access to the presser foot 28, its active or advanced'position being determined by a stop stud III on the work support I. The adjustable connection for the arm 51 includes, as shown in Fig. II, a headed clamp screw "H whereof the shank passes down through a longitudinal slot 12 in the section'55 and engages into the section 58.. The two sectlons of e arm 81 are maintained in alignment by 9. lug oject'ion 19 on the one which projects I up into the slot 12 of the other, see Fig. II.

In traversing the curl controller 2|, the knitted stocking fabric S is broken in passing over the inner edge of the loading platform 55, by the depressing action of the wing, 58 as shown in Fig. IV. while at the same time, the raised end 82 of said wing engages the natural curl of the fabric along the raw edge from beneath in Figs. II and XI. In advancing through the attenuated pas sage of the scroll 51 the edge curl of the fabric is gradually reduced and at the same time flattened, so that it emerges from the discharge endof said scroll, as a flat retroversion H of a definite uniform width. With the curl controller 2! laterally adjusted to the position shown in Fig. H, the

which constitutes a stop for one edge of th tape as shown in Fig. XVII, the otheredge of the tape'running in contact with a left hand side flange 86 of the channel 15. The tape T is supplied from a roll (not shown) suitably supported above the machine at the rear of the latter, and

before entering the device 22 traverses the supboss I09 at the upper end of the bracket arm 80 retroversion H ofthe knitted fabric is guided so as to be penetrated by the two right hand needles oi the group 8. a

The guide and tensioning device 22 for the elastic tape 1' is arranged above the curl controller 2i in advance of the presser foot 20 and comprises a member 15 (Figs. XVI-XIX) which is fashioned to shallow channel configuration to angles as at 16, the transition being effected through a smooth curve 11 of large radius over which the tape enters the channel; and permanently secured to the underside of the portion 16 adjacent its horizontal edge,is a supporting bar 18 which engages into an axially apertured boss 19 on an upwardly and forwardly reaching angular bracket arm 80 fastened by screws 8| to the outer end face of the needlehead 3 of the sewing machine. By virtue of this construction, it will be apparent that the device 22 can be adjusted forwar ly or rearwardly in the direction of feeding as, ell as laterally of the line of feeding, the adjustment being fixable by a setscrew 82 which engages laterally into the boss 19 of the bracket arm 89, and which clamps against the support ing bar 18 of said device. At the bottom or discharge end of the channel member 15, the cross web of the latter is curled rearwardly and upwardly as at 83 to provide a smooth round sur face about which the tape passes as it leaves the device 22. Pivoted on a pin 85 extending transr versely between the side flanges 86 of the channel I5 at the top is a springv tongue 81 which corresponds in width with said channel. Bridging the channel immediately below the pin 85 is a cross bar 88 with a tapped aperture at the center in which an adjusting screw 89 isengaged. As shown in Fig. XVIII the inner end of the screw 89. bears upon the spring tongues 81 so that the lower edge of the latter is caused to impose a drag upon the tape T, as the latter traverses the guide channel 15. From Fig. XVI, it will be noted that the screw 89 is provided with a knurled head 90 whereby it may be manually manipulated while the machine is running to adjust the tension of the tongue 81 and thereby vary the tension on the tape as desired or required.

in which they are secured, with provision for endwise adjustment, by clamp screws IM.

As already stated, with the curl controller 2| adjusted as shown in Fig. II, the retroversion or 7 fold His delivered for penetration by the two right hand needles of the group 8. In this connection itis to be noted that theretroversion H is fully formed as it leaves the scroll 51 *on its way beneath the presser foot and before it meets with the tape T which is superimposed upon said retroversion as the latter and the tape are concurrently progressed in marginally-lapped relation bythe feed dog l8. In the present instance; the guides 50 and SI on the presser foot 20 are so adjusted that theinner or left hand edge of the tape T is brought beyond the left hand needle of the group 8 for penetration by the latter, said needle also passing through the single thickness lengthwise compensatively with the tape and the stocking fabric. During the sewing, the com- .ponent 23 of the presser foot 20 bears heavily on the seam from above to insurepositive progression of the work by the feed dog [8; while the independently movable component 25 bears lightly on the stocking fabric inwardly of the tape with just SllfilClGIlt pressure to hold the ,fabric down Without causing distortion thereof.

By proper adjustment of the screw 89 pressingupon the spring tongue 8 of the guiding and tensioning device 22, the drag induced in the tape T may be regulated to a nicety to preclude puckering of the stocking fabric adjacent the seam. It. is of course, important that the device 22 be properly adjusted in the direction of feeding and crosswise thereof so that the tape may move freely without deviating from a direct path of travel enroute to the guide slot 38 of the presser foot 20. It will be further apparent that the overlap ofthetape relative to the stocking fabric may be changed as desired by adjusting the edge stops 45, 46 along the slot 38 in the presser foot 20, and by compensatively adjusting the guiding and tensioning device 22 bodily crosswise of the direction of feeding. The machine is also adaptable for tapes of diflerent widths by adjusting one or both of the edge guides 45, 46 on the presser foot 20 and by correspondingly adjusting the gauge member 9| of the guiding and tensioning device 22.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a sewing machine, stitch forming and feeding instrumentalities; a controller for manipulating thecurled edge of knitted stocking fabric or the like, in the form of a tapering halfturn. scroll having a flat inturned portion intermediate its top and bottom walls and a tongue in continuation of said flat portions extending in advance of the scroll in the direction of feeding,

said tongue having a rounded edge which lat-' eraily under-reaches the curl of the fabric as the elastic tape under definite tension in marginally overlapping relation upon the flat hem of the fabric as said hem emerges from the controller, for presentation of the overlap area of the fabric and the strip to the stitch forming instrumentalities'of the machine.

2. In a sewing machine having stitch forming and feeding instrumentalities; a controller for manipulating the curled edge of knitted stocking fabric or the like, including means for laterally engaging within the edge curl of the fabric to open it as the fabric is advanced, and an attenuating passage by which the opened curl is subsequently converted, without reversing it, into a narrow fiat hem of uniform width; a tensioning guide which delivers elastic tape under definite tension in marginally pverlapping relation upon the flat hem of the fabric as said hem emerges from the controller, for presentation of the overlap area of the fabric and strip to the stitch forming instrumentaiities of the machine; and means whereby the controller and the tape guide can be adjusted relatively to vary the overlap'between the fabric and the tape.

3. In sewing machines having stitch forming instrumentalities; feed means including spaced front and rear feed dog sections aligned in the direction of feeding; a controller for manipulating the curled edge of knitted stocking fabric or thevance of the point where it meets with the tape.

4. In a sewing machine having stitch forming instrumentalities; feed means including spaced front and rear feed dog sections aligned in the direction of feed; a controller for manipulating the curled edge of knitted stocking fabric or the like, including means for laterally engaging within the edge curl of the fabric to open said curl as the fabric is advanced, and an attenuating passage by which the opened curl is subsequently converted, without reversal, into a narrow fiat hem of imiform width; 9. tensioning guide which delivers elastic tape under definite tension in marginally overlapping relation upon the flat hem of the fabric as said hem emerges from the controller, for presentation of the over-lap area of the fabric and strip to the stitch forming instrumentalities; a main presser foot which coacts with the rear feed dog section to concurrently advance the fabric and the tape after the superimposition of the two is effected; and an auxiliary presser foot pivotally connected for up and down movement to the main presser foot,-

which auxiliary foot cooperates withthe front feed dog section to feed the body fabric immediately in advance of the point where it meets with the tape.

5. In 'a sewing machine having stitch forming instrumentalities; feeding means including spaced front and rear feed dog sections aligned in the direction of feeding; a controller for manipulating the curled edge of knitted stocking fabric or the like, including 'means for laterally engaginstrumentalities; a main presser foot which coacts with the rear feed dog section to concurrently advance the fabric and the tape after the superimposition of the two is effected; and an independently movable auxiliary presser foot which cooperates with the front feed dog section to feed the body fabric immediately in ading within the edge curl of the fabric to open said curl asthe fabric is advanced, and an attenuating passage by which the opened curl is subsequently converted, without reversal, into a narrow flat hem of uniform width a tensioning guide which delivers elastic tape under definite tension in marginally over-lapping relation upon the flat hem of the fabric as said hem emerges from the controller, for presentation of the overlap area of the fabric and strip to the stitch forming instrumentalities; a main presser foot which coacts with the rear feed dog section to concurrently advance the fabric and the tape after the superimposition of the two is effected; an independently movable auxiliary presser foot which cooperates with the front feed dog section to feed the body fabric immediately in advance of the point where it meets with the tape; and a supplemental tape guide on the main presser foot whereby the tape is directed downwardly into a transverse interval between the two presser foot sections.

FRANK A. KUCERA. 

